Mona could see about ten of the men milling around in the lobby on the other side. Whoever had fired the gun had probably been the guard on duty on that side of the building. She figured it was probably another demon. Hopefully it was only a stray that had wandered too close to the building. It had been months since any had wandered up and she figured she had been naive in hoping they were gone for good.
"Look at that." Crystal snapped, her arms going to the door. "That little slut is trying to run!" Before Mona could ask who, Crystal was out the door into the courtyard. Staring after her with a dumbfounded look on her face, Mona couldn't believe herself when she followed.
"Who?" Mona croaked as she stumbled after her, close on her heels, but the skinny woman ignored her. Then another gunshot had boomed through the courtyard, seeming much louder now. Mona dove to the dirt, covering her head with her hands. She didn't notice Crystal had done the same until the woman began to move again.
The shot had ricocheted on the inner walls. That meant they were shooting at a demon that made it into the courtyard. Her eyes went wide as she scanned the shadows and she was turning to retreat back to the hotel when she saw her. A ray of bright moonlight glinted off red hair, and Mona knew who it was.
The girl crouched against the building, her body still mostly hidden in the shadows, and Mona could see that she was normal. She was no monster.
That was why Crystal was out here. She was chasing the girl down, god only knew why. When the skinny whore leapt up in pursuit again, Mona felt a scary determination building inside her. She didn't want to die, but couldn't let this innocent girl remain trapped here either. If she had been with one of the men, she would have just cowered back to her kitchen, but this was Crystal – a bitter, old, Vegas hooker – and Mona wasn't scared of her.
Crystal was yelling at Ali, commanding her to get back to her room, but Ali continued to slink away as she approached. Mona ran, tackling Crystal to the ground. The slimmer woman fell hard as Mona crashed down on top of her.
"Run!" Mona hissed at Ali, and Ali's shadow disappeared as Crystal struggled underneath her. Mona hadn't thought everything through. Crystal was a swarm of fists and claws, beating against Mona and scratching at her face. Her screams would surely draw attention.
They had fallen on the old walkway, and loose bricks littered the ground, dug up from when they had built the animal pens. Mona grabbed one in her hand, and smashed it down on Crystal's head, only wanting to subdue the woman.
Crystal was still.
Horrified, Mona had dropped the brick and rolled away. Without even a look back, she ran inside as fast as her old legs would carry her. She didn't stop until she was back in her kitchen cowering on her pallet.
She tried to wipe the blood from her hands again.
It had been several minutes since the last gunshot. Maybe they would think Crystal had been shot. They might never suspect Mona. She glanced down at the blood again and knew she had to get rid of the evidence right away.
She crept to the sink, wary of any movement, but the men still hadn't come back in. Confident she was alone, she pulled out some towels and filled the water jug only half full from the reserve. As she carried it back to the counter, a strong grip on her arm spun her around and the pitcher flew from her grasp. Water slung everywhere, and the jug landed with a loud thump, pouring the rest of its contents onto the floor.
Mona bit her tongue to keep from screaming. The reaction was instinct, but, staring up at Reed's angry green eye glowering down at her, it was hard to fight it back. Forcing herself to sallow it down, fresh beads of sweat broke out on her forehead almost instantly.
Then the man crumpled against the cabinet, although he didn't release his grip on her arm.
"That fucking bitch." He growled.
She stammered, shaking her head in nervousness and confusion. Reed was not a man she wanted to ever disappoint, but she had no choice but to ask, "Who?"
He growled again, deep in his throat. The sound was low and animalistic. She watched his eye close as he took a settling breath. When he opened his eye to regard her again, he straightened to his full, daunting height. Her bladder released and the stench of urine mingled with the smell of blood.
"Mona, Mona, Mona." He said, letting his grip slip to her hand. He brought it up to his face to examine it, and in the faint light she saw his fingers were red with blood. He smeared it along her arm. Frightened, she didn't dare pull away. "I need you to give Hawk a message for me. Will you do that?"
Her eyes widened momentarily before she stuttered out the only answer she could. "Y-y-yes."
"Good." he said.
He pulled her back to the reserve and plunged her entire arm into the barrel. His hand followed, rubbing away the grime and blood from her lower arm. His touch was tender, a gentle caress that did nothing to ease her fears.
"Close your eyes, Mona. This will just take a moment." He said and she complied. Although she didn't want to, she was too terrified to disobey. She didn't even question it. Instead she let her mind hide in the darkness.
Being so much shorter than Reed, he had to pull her arm uncomfortably high. She wanted to look, but the fear easily won out over her curiosity.
Mona remained still, obedient, even as she felt something clamp down on her arm. It wasn't until the pressure turned to pain that her eyes flew open, and as she saw Reed's teeth gleaming in the darkened room as they burrowed into her flesh. No amount of practiced restraint could hold in her scream then.
She tried to jerk away, but the hold he had on her was too strong. Her feet collapsed under her as she fought for her freedom, but he followed her down. Blood trickled down her arm when he finally dropped her and she scuttled backwards until she was stopped by the cabinets.
The blood looked black in the gloom and she stared at it in horror as it seeped from her torn flesh. Her wide eyes looked up, expecting to see Reed standing over her, ready to attack, but he was gone. Simply vanished. Mona had been too consumed by the odd way he had punished her this time to even notice he had left.
Trembling, she pulled herself to her feet, peering around cautiously in case her attacker was still near. She saw nothing, but that was no comfort. She had not seen him approach earlier, either.
She held her wounded arm to her chest, thankful that was the only thing he had done to her this time. However bizarre it seemed, she knew she had gotten off lucky. Her bones were getting too old to heal from all the beatings.
Slowly, she gathered the jug that had been tossed on the floor and nearly jumped out of her skin when Hawk rushed around the corner.
"What is it?" he asked. He wore a huge bruise over one eye and his lip was swollen and bleeding.
"N-n-nothing." Mona stammered. "I just slipped in the water." she said lamely, indicating the puddle left from the jug. He frowned at her, the disbelief evident on his face as he came to inspect her wound. His eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw the bite, and his frown turned into a look of shock.
"Who did this?" He asked as he grabbed her hand to examine her new wound.
"He just... I don't know. He bit me and left." Mona shrugged, still confused by the situation. Even though she'd never seen Hawk raise a hand in violence against any innocent, she wouldn't dare test him now by refusing to answer.
"Reed did this?" He asked, trying to clarify. Mona nodded. "Where did he go?"
"He just vanished."
"You didn't see which way he went?" There was panic raising in his voice now as he pressed her for answers. It stirred the fear that was left in her. She backed away slowly as she shook her head.
"I fell. When I looked up, he was gone." That answer finally seemed to suffice and Hawk stopped his questions. "I'm sure he'll be back soon," she finished, hoping to allay whatever was concerning him.
"No." He responded softly, almost to himself. Her old ears barely heard him. "I'm sorry, Mona."
At that, she swallowed hard. She heard his words as a warning, and with the sad look in his eyes,
she figured Reed would have it in for her when he came back. She didn't understand why any man here would stop to give a woman pity.
"Look, you care for those girls in there, I know you do. I've seen it myself." He started, quickly. "I'd like to help you do more for them but--"
Miguel rushed through the hallway and skidded to a stop as he caught sight of Hawk in the kitchen. Miguel's arrival interrupted whatever Hawk was going to say, her mind not able to wrap itself around what he had tried to tell her. He left her standing there as he rushed to meet the other man who was shouting at him excitedly. "I think I got him, brother!"
Mona cringed away as she saw Miguel lift the long rifle in triumph. Hawk was shaking his head, dimming the excitement. "No. He's already gone."
Miguel's shoulders sagged briefly, but he still reached out a hand to pat Hawk on the back. "We'll still win the day, brother. They're scattered and running."
Hawk turned sad eyes back to Mona and she shifted towards her shadowy corner instinctively, but his attention was back on Miguel soon enough. "Let's get the women out of those rooms, then."
Miguel left in the same rush he had entered with, heading towards the pits. Hawk was following, but he called to Mona over his shoulder. "Stay here, you'll be safe. I'll be back soon."
Where else would she go? The exchange she had witnessed promised change for the better, but she didn't dare let the hope in just yet. Reed was still out there, slipping through the hotel like a ghost. The thought sent shivers down her spine, but something told her he was done with her... for now at least.
Feeling a tinge of nauseous creep around in her stomach, Mona retreated to her pallet. Her body flushed as a fever started to break out.
~ ~ ~ ~
After – Part Three will be released in the spring of 2014.
Please join D.R. Johnson on her blog, Facebook and Twitter for news of the release date, and all things concerning
The Phoenix Curse.
http://drjpublishing.blogspot.com
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Twitter: @DRJohnsonTPC
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debra R. Johnson was born July 20th, 1976 in Oklahoma. She lived the first 30 years of her life there before moving to the Dallas Metroplex. She currently resides in Grand Prairie, Texas. Reading has been a passion of hers from a very young age, her favorite authors include Stephen King, R. A. Salvatore, Robert Jordan, and George R. R. Martin.
Debra has three children. Her eldest son is a musically gifted genius. Her daughter is as equally gifted with her inspirational stories, and her youngest son of two is mastering the art of walking, talking, and using the big boy potty. Debra is married to a wonderfully supportive and loving husband.
They also have two carpet whales that some people would call cats.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1 – Joss
Chapter 2 – Ali
Chapter 3 – Joss
Chapter 4 – Ali
Chapter 5 – Joss
Chapter 6 – Ali
Chapter 7 – Joss
Chapter 8 – Ali
Epilogue
About The Author
The Phoenix Curse (Book 2): After Page 22